Practical Project Management – 10 Hot Tips for Ensuring Project Success
Posted by in Project Plan Management on May 27, 2011
It has been said that nearly 80% of all projects either fail completely or never get to completion. This is a very big statement to make, but I have found that if you stick to the 10 tips given below, you will most definitely always deliver a quality project, on time and within budget.
1. Project kick off.
When you start your project, the most important thing is to ensure that you obtain the requirements in as much detail as possible. You will then be able to exactly understand what needs to be delivered, by when and to whom. This business case document will form the basis of your project.
2. Timeframes.
As far as possible, keep timeframes as short and realistic as possible. Do not commit to long term deliverables, but rather split these up into mini projects or separate phases of an overall encompassing project.
3. Milestones.
Create milestones for every phase or piece of work in your project. Add delivery dates to these and stick to them. If you are going to miss a deadline, communicate this to you client as early as possible.
4. Deliverables.
Deliverables should not be confused with milestones. Once every deliverable has been completed, it must be formally handed over to the client, who should sign an Acceptance Form to confirm it has met their expectations as per original requirements.
5. Clients.
Understand your client and involve them right through the entire project, from planning to implementation. Communicate to them on a regular basis to ensure you get their buy-in in the project.
6. Scope.
Document the scope of the project up front, including what is in and what is out and have this signed off by the client. Any future scope changes must be re-evaluated and agreed by all stakeholders against the original scope. A formal change management process will go a long way to assist with this. Read the rest of this entry »
Top Ten Tips For Project Management Success
Posted by in Project Management on May 27, 2011
1. Have a process to follow.
Depending on the organization that you are working for or with, the project management methodology in use for the project may be dictated to you. Whether it’s your decision or not, find yourself a good project management guide and read it. This may be, for example, the Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide or the Prince2 manual. There is usually a diagram that illustrates the general process for your chosen methodology. I recommend that you print out a copy and stick it to your wall. It’s always handy to refer to and remind you of the core parts of the process.
2. Having a mentor.
The best thing you can have is your own experience – the second best – someone elses! Having access to the knowledge and wisdom of those that have done it before is invaluable. Seek out good mentors, either internal or external to your organization. If possible, make it someone with a positive attitude – really, it rubs off!
3. Tools of the Trade.
Surround yourself with the tools of the trade that can make your job just a little easier. Software tools for project planning, task management (Gantt chart software), issue and risk logs and my personal favourite – mind mapping software. If you’re not much into technology then spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel is pretty versatile and can be used for more areas of project management.
4. Time saving Templates
If you’ve been doing this for a while, then no doubt you’ll have your own set of templates that you have probably tweaked to fit your requirements. There are many available, both free and paid for, on the Internet. Choose templates that are easy to use and fit with your methodology. Templates are a terrific time saver.
5. Planning is crucial.
Detailed planning serves many purposes. Not only does it clarify the deliverable items of the project but it provides that all important understanding of time, cost and resources requirements. It’s imperative that you spend the time to do this part well as the whole project will be based on the outcome of this process. You will need to clearly document the project deliverables and their acceptance criteria. Read the rest of this entry »